Friday, April 17, 2015

Alzheimer's disease - a cure in sight?

1. My first encounter with the ailment was when I saw a friend's mom down with the ailment almost a decade back. I was quite sad because she used to shower me with her love and affection every time I used to visit her and her trademark smile had, by then, become memory! At present, my own Vilasini kunjamma, is grappling with the ailment....

2. Today, I'd come upon an interesting piece of news that a team of medical researchers of the Duke University, North Carolina have made an antidote, for the ailment, that was successful on lab mice. More about it later, firstly, the basics.

How did the ailment get its name?

3. In 1906, it was the physician, Dr Alois Alzheimer, who'd described a peculiar disease while attending the case of Auguste D, a patient who'd shown the following symptoms:-

    - profound memory loss
    - unfounded suspicions about her family and
    - worsening psychological changes.

4. And, by now, most of us are familiar with the early signs of the dreaded illness which are:-

    - memory loss of recent events and information
    - confusion about place and time
    - familiar tasks becoming challenging
    - trouble finding words, finishing thoughts and sentences
    - decreased reasoning ability and altered judgment
    - changes in mood and personality, frequent mood swings, disinterest or withdrawal, suspicion and
    - difficulty with complex mental tasks, planning and problem solving.

What the new studies reveal.

5. The new research is shedding light on the cause of the disease and the role, a person's immune system plays in protecting the brain from dementia. Accordingly:-

    (a) Alzheimer's develops certain immune cells called Microglia - usually protect the brain -
          that start a pattern of activity dampening the immune system, instead.
    (b) There's an increase of an enzyme called Arginase that comes out of these microglia cells
          which lowers the level of an important amino acid called Arginene, which is necessary for the
          health of the nerve cells, especially in the region of the brain associated with memory.

The way ahead.

6. Should people start taking 'arginine' dietary supplements to ward off Alzheimer's? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Arginine, in the diet, would not get through the 'blood - brain barrier' to the cells that need it.

7. Studies in mice need not always translate into treatments that work in humans.

8. But definitely, it's a step in the right direction!


Tailpiece.

I happened to read in a medical journal recently that the people who're prone to Alzheimer's are those who're systematic in their work and who also insist on bringing about 'orderliness' in their environment. Sad! See the paradox in the scheme of things!! It's quite unfair!!!

........But let's look at it this a way. Probably, god is giving them the respite from the slogging and the heart burns that they might have gone through all their lives for getting everything orderly! No, I ain't making fun of the situation in any manner!! It's in all seriousness!!!

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